Split Industrial Coffee Table

Drill 1-1/2" pocket holes on each end of the short leg stretcher. Attach to two legs with 2-1/2" pocket hole screws and glue — this becomes one corner of the first frame.

Drill pocket holes on both ends of the mid stretcher, then attach one end to the corner from the previous step. Attach a third leg to the open end.

Drill a pocket hole on one end of the long stretcher and attach it to the third leg with 2-1/2" pocket hole screws and glue, closing the three-legged frame.

Repeat this whole sequence for the second frame as an exact mirror image of the first — the split-table look depends on the two frames actually mirroring each other, not just being similar.

Cut the two angled corner braces from scrap 2x2 at 45°, drill pocket holes as marked, and attach.

Rip a 2x4 length down the middle at a 45° bevel on the table saw, then rip each resulting half down to 1-1/2" wide. Go slow with a push stick — this is the one operation on the build that isn't a simple square cut. Attach the finished brace with 2" screws and glue.

Attach each frame's mitered top boards from underneath with 2" screws. Make sure both tops are mirrored to each other so the two frames sit together as one surface with the seam running straight down the middle.

Sand all surfaces and edges, especially the mitered top joints. Finish both frames identically so the pair reads as one piece.